Hosiery support or garter



June 14, 1949. R, J, STEERE' 2,473,11

HOSIERY SUPPORT OR GARTER File March 21, 1946 IFIIQGHTOI' RAYMOND J. STEERE MAM" @1 $4.4M

' Attorneys Patented June 14, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,473,113 I HOSIERY snrron'rron GARTER' Raymondl. Steerc, Rockwood, Tenn. Application March 21, 1946, Serial No. 656,085

8- Claims.

The present invention'relatesto ia'hosiery support or garter of .a .typewhichpis adapted to en circle the thigh: portion of the leg above the ;knee. The :invention :permits t the wearing :of hose at full length without the aidof extension supports from foundation garments or garterbelts.

A principal object .of..theinventionis wto pro+ vide such a-hosiery-support of particular useiuh ness in proper-1ysupporting'ladies iullrfashicned, full-length hosiery; in; such mannerthat thehose are .maintainedron the-leg in'smooth and-even condition, withthefull-fashioned seam main: tained in proper centralpositionalong the: back of the leg-at all times.

The present invention eliminatesthe necessity for a garter belt or thelikewornqaround' the waist and having the hosiery 'supports depending therefrom. It istwellcknowntthat in the use ofsuch belts for .supportingihosiery, various uneven tensions are applied .to. the upper. edges. of .the hosiery when thebeit or depending, ;supporters shift due to variousmovements oi the wearer. Such extended hose supporting membersare ob.- jectionable' especially when used with funfashioned hosiery, for thesupporting members hang freely and without. any control .of stability.

at or'near the point where theclaspengages.

thehose, allowing the fashion seam .tocreep out of position, thus "distortingthe true contour or lines of the ieg. It'is' well known that iullilength hosiery cannot bemaintainedz in a smart and neat condition when supported in" the .generaI manner referred toabove.

Another important object of the invention is.

to. provide a garteror hosiery-support of the thigh encirclingtype having means in the. form of clasps for supporting the" hose or stockingswithin the width of the'band itselflwhereby any tension applied to the supporting clasps bymovementoi the. leg Wi' lL' bexevenIy-.absorb ed,-=the upper portiontoi. the stocking always :being maintained 1 inanevenzand neat condition; With-respect tothis. objective: thahose. area-supported by clasps which are-attached bathe-uppen'edge-of the-band" or. garter, the aciasps; being disposed-within the- Qf ithe liand or. garter" and having means torgripithezhoser above LthEJOWGI BdgE. of the band. I i am; awarecfatheaexi'stencenoi: thigh-engaging arter. bandszhaving: a plurality ofi supporting elements: whiclrdepend therefrom and; connect with; the upper: edge of the; stocking at points to.a=lesser degree, for uneven tensions are'exerted on the supporting clasps which; during thecourse of a shorttime, cause the. stocking-to become wrinkled and the back, seam to become :twisted from its proper'position;

Anotherobject of the invention is to;provide a; thigh-encirclingv garter band made. of rubber or the like which changes in diameter-through out. its :width sQthat-itmay evenly fit -theshape oiathe leg and bemaintainedin frictional eneasement therewith throughout the. entire surface of theband. The garterband of .the present invention frictionally engages the limb of the wearer with skin surface-tension.

Variousother objects-and advantages of the invention-will become. apparent as the description progresses.

In the drawings which are illustrative of a form which the inventionmay take, and which are not intended to restrict 1 the invention other than asdefined in the appended claims,

Figure 1;is.a view of a blank of .rubber or the like cut-in preparation .for" the manufacture'oi a garter of my invention,

Figure -2 is a view of the blank. of Figure 1 after it has been formed into a band and after the.hose-supportingelements-have: been attached tothe band,

Figure 3 is a central substantially vertical sec' tional view throughthe band at a point where the hose attaching devices are positioned, showing the manner in whichv theyare mounted on theband,

Figure .4 is an enlarged. view of a portion of theband, showing the manner in. which the at taching mechanisms grip the welt of. the stock.- ing,, and;

Figures. 5 and; 6 are views respectively towardv the .frcnt and. back.- of thecleg, showingone p0- sition in whichthe. garter. handmay be worn and one manner in which. the supporting. devices-v may be disposed toengagethe hose. These views show the garter at a relatively high .position on supports could not be usedlwithsuch hosew-ithsizacedzsome .diistancezbeiowthe-lcwer edge 'or tneoutposition'ing the garter almost at the crotch.

3 It will be understood that the garter of the present invention will usually be worn at positions closer to the knee than is illustrated in Figures and 6, when used with hose of customary length.

Referring to Figure 1, a blank [0 of rubber, pure latex rubber, synthetic rubber or the like is cut in the form shown having a lower edge l2 and an upper edge i l of substantially the same curvature, the radius of curvature of the upper edge being greater than that of the lower edge, to a degree corresponding with the width of the band. The end edges It and it of the blank may be later slightly overlapped and bonded in any well known manner to form a one-piece, substantiallycircular garter band of the form shown in Figure 2, the form being such that the upper edge l4 encircles the upper or thicker portion of the thigh whereas the lower edge i2 will encircle the smaller portion of the thigh in order that the band may evenly accommodate itself to the shape of the wearers leg. The band thus formed fits the tapered form of the limb under equalized tension.

At spaced points along the blank, additional thin reinforcing strips 29 of rubber or the like are bonded to the outer surface of the blank in any well known manner, these strips being positioned in a substantially radial direction with respect to the lines of curvature which define the upper and lower edges 14 and 12 of the blank. The strips 2! while thin, are of sufficient body to form a firm anchorage for clasp buttons to be later described, and to keep the thin garter band from wrinkling when being worn. In order to secure the well known types of clasp members for supporting the hosiery, the rubber strips are provided with integral tabs 22 which may be of slightly lesser width than the strips 25, and which extend beyond the upper edge IA of the blank Hi. In order to illustrate the manner of attachment of the supporting members, which are designated as 24, one of the tabs 22 is shown in Figure 4 in position prior to securing its clasp, although it will be understood that when a stocking is attached this tab would have been bent down and secured as by bonding to the outer face of its strip 20. The securing portion or link 26 of the clasp is positioned on the outer face of the strip 20 adjacent the upper edge M of the blank, and the extending tab 22 is then bent outwardly and downwardly over the link and through its opening and is bonded to the outer face of the strip 20 in any well-known manner, so that the clasp is firmly but pivotally secured to the blank adjacent the upper edge thereof.

The clasp 24 may be of any well-known construction, having a lower restricted throat portion 30 which is adapted to be slipped over a clasp button 32 secured to or formed, as by molding, as an integral part of the lower outer end face of each of the rubber strips 20.

As shown in Figure 4, the garter band [0 is slipped over the leg to the proper point on the thigh in accordance with the length of the hose, and then the upper edge or welt of the hose is pulled up over the outer surface of the band until it is just below the upper edge M of said band. At this time, the button 32 is flexed upwardly and then pushed down into the throat 39 of the clasp with a gatherin of the hose between the enlarged end of the button and the reduced portion of the throat 36 as is common practice, the hose being secured around the garter in the general position and condition illustrated in Figure 4.

While the strips 20 and the hose clasp elements may be arranged on the band III in any well known manner, a preferred arrangement is indicated in Figure 2 where four strips are shown suitably spaced substantially throughout a half of the cirole formed by the band. Referring to Figure 5, showing the front of the leg, there is a clasp 24 substantially at opposite sides of the leg, and the two clasps are disposed equally spaced throughout the front semicircle of the band. However, it will be understood that said clasps may be otherwise arranged or spaced, particularly to provide some support at the back of the leg if this is deemed advisable.

With the construction and arrangement shown, it is found that any tension applied to the garter and supporting clasps are evenly distributed, and it is found that the seam S (Figure 6) extending up the back of the leg are maintained in even and neat position. By reason of the fact that the top welt of the hose is positioned around the band and supported from adjacent the top thereof, a firm and flexible attachment is secured, which attachment is characterized by the absence of uneven stresses when the garter is being worn, the hose being maintained in a smooth and neat condition. In connection with the above advantages, it will be noted that the clasps 24 and the buttons 32 grip the hose within the confines of the band ill, so that there is no medium depending from the band itself which is capable of being pulled or shifted during movements of the leg to thereby cause wrinkling or twisting of the hose.

While I have shown the band l0 positioned relatively high on the leg in Figures 5 and 6, as would be the case when used with hose of maximum length, it will be understood that the garter will accommodate itself for wear at a point on the thigh somewhat'closer to the knee. The absence of depending members to be secured to the stocking results in a device of reduced over-all width, so that the garter may be worn closer to the knee than in the case of prior art devices mentioned above in this specification, which comprise a belt with clasping elements hanging or depending therefrom. Thus, a garter of the present inven tion can be adjusted with more modesty than is possible with prior art devices;

It will be apparent that I have provided a garter which is useful and practical in retaining hose at full length position with substantially equalized and minimum tension on the hose fabric, whereby the hose are maintained in smooth and neat condition with the seam retained against creeping from proper position.

It will also be apparent that when pure latex or synthetic rubber is used in making the garter band, the adhering quality of the rubber frictionally engages the bare leg with skin surface tension, thus preventing the garter from slipping downwardly or ciroumferentially on the leg.

I claim:

- 1. A garter for supporting hose at full length from the thigh, comprising a band of rubber or the like having an inner surface which widens toward the upper edge of the band when the band is relaxed in order to assume the tapered form of the leg when worn and to grip the same by uniform skin surface tension, said band having a plurality of 'clasps pivoted thereto adjacent its upper edge anda plurality of cooperating buttons similarly spaced and located on the outer face of said band adjacent the lower edge thereof, said band being adapted toreceive the welt of 7 the hose thereover when worn on the thigh with the top dseofr he, hose j sthemwe to e e of the band and beneath said clasps and with said welt covering said buttons, said clasps and; but tons being positioned and arranged to secure the welt of the hose at spacedpoints directly to and withinthe confines of the top and bottom edges of said band, wherebyto, maintain the hose in neat and even condition and avoid creeping of he hose am- 2; A; construction in accordance with claim 1 wherein said buttons and clasps are carried on reinforcing strips bonded onto the outer face of said band.

3. A garter for supporting hose at full length from the thigh, comprising a band of flexible material formed to fit and grip the thigh, said band being adapted to receive the upper end of the hose over the band when being worn, a pair of cooperating hose-securing members on the outer face of said band and independently secured to the flexible material thereof in spaced relation, both securing points being within the width of said band, said securing members being adapted to engage one another to grip the upper edge of the hose, said securing members being adapted to be displaced toward and into engagement with one another by flexing the material of said band, the engaging portion of the lower securing member being positioned above the lower edge of said band.

4. A garter for supporting hose at full length from the thigh, comprising a band of flexible material formed to fit and grip the thigh, and a plurality of spaced clasps of rigid material secured to said band adjacent the upper end thereof, said clasps having lower button-engaging ends which lie adjacent to the lower end of said band but within its confines, and cooperating clasp engaging buttons secured to the flexible material of said band adjacent the lower end thereof, whereby they may be displaced toward and into engagement with their respective clasps by flexing the material of said band, said band being thereby rendered rigid in vertical lines through said clasps when the clasps and buttons are engaged to thus cause the full width of said band to absorb stresses from the hose.

5. A garter for supporting hose at full length from the thigh, comprising a band of flexible material formed to fit and grip the thigh, and a plurality of spaced clasps of rigid material secured to said band adjacent the upper end thereof, said clasps having lower button-engaging ends which lie adjacent to the lower end of said band but within its confines, and cooperating clasp engaging buttons secured to the flexible material of said band adjacent the lower end thereof, whereby they may be displaced toward and into engagement with their respective clasps by flexing the material of said band, said band being thereby rendered rigid in vertical lines through said clasps when the clasps and buttons are engaged to thus cause the full width of said band to absorb stresses from the hose, said band having an inner surface which widens toward the upper edge of the band when the band is relaxed in order to assume the tapered form of the leg when worn and to grip the same by uniform skin surface tension.

6. A garter for supporting hose at full length from the thigh, comprising a band of rubber or the like adapted to encircle the leg under tension and having upper and lower edges cut on arcs having substantially the same center but of radii difiering by the width of the band in order that thereover hand man the; t p r d f rm of the leg; whe Wo m sai b n ha p ced e eei i h er h l ke ben dhe et and t n in throughouttha width of the band to form verti cal strengthened areas on the band, said tabs being provided with meansto secure a clasp theretoend having a cooperating button secured thereto in spaced, relation-to said clasp, said band be ng, a apted t re eiv the, welt e the hose when worn on the thigh. with the top, edge of the hose just below the top edge of the band and beneath said clasps and with said welt covering said buttons, said clasps and the buttons being positioned and arranged to secure the welt of the hose at spaced points directly to and within the confines of the top and bottom edges of said band, said buttons being engaged with said clasps by flexing the material of said band and said tabs, said clasps and buttons being retained in proper relation securing the welt of the hose by the tension of said band when in position on the leg.

7. A garter for supporting hose at full length from the thigh, comprising a relatively narrow band of rubber or the like which tapers from a lesser to a greater diameter as the top edge of the band is approached and when the band is in relaxed condition when not being worn, said band bein uncovered in order to grip the bare thigh with skin surface tension and being capable of circumferential stretching to assume the tapered form of the thigh when worn at any desired elevation thereon, a plurality of rigid clasps secured to said band adjacent the upper edge thereof and a plurality of corresponding vertically aligned clasp engaging buttons independently secured to the rubber of said band adjacent the lower edge thereof whereby said buttons may be displaced toward and into engagement with their respective clasps by flexing the rubber of said band, said band being adapted to receive the welt of the hose thereover when worn on the thigh with the top edge of the hose adjacent the top edge of said band and beneath said clasps with said welt covering said buttons, said clasps and buttons being retained in proper relation securing the welt of the hose by the tension of said band when it is worn on the thigh, said band being rendered rigid in vertical lines through said clasps when the latter are engaged with said buttons.

8. A garter for supporting hose at full length from the thigh, comprising a relatively narrow band of rubber or the like which is capable of circumferential expansion and is formed to fit and grip the tapered thigh at any desired elevation thereon, a plurality of rigid clasps of length substantially equal to the width of said band and secured to said band adjacent the upper edge thereof, and a plurality of corresponding vertically aligned clasp engaging buttons independently secured to the rubber of said band adjacent the lower edge thereof, said band being adapted to receive the welt of the hose thereover when worn on the thigh with the top edge of the hose positioned adjacent the top edge of said band beneath said clasps with said welt covering said buttons, said band in vertical lines between the independent securing points of corresponding clasps and buttons remaining flexible prior to their engagement to permit displacement of said buttons toward and into engagement with their respective clasps by flexing the rubber of said band, said band being thereby rendered rigid in said vertical lines by the engaged clasps to 7 thus cause the full width of said band to absorb UNITED STATES PATENTS V stresses from the hose, said clasps and buttons Number Name Date being retained in proper relation engaging the 862 010 Newton July 30 190.7 Welt of the hose by the circumferential tension 1 731100 Oct 1929 of said band when in position on the thigh. 5 1 sutte 1945 RAYMOND J. STEERE.

FOREIGN PATENTS REFERENCES CITED Numb er Country Date The following referenlces are of record in the 284,383 Italy Apr. 10, 1931 file of this patent: 10 320,529 Italy Aug. 24, 1934 

